Senators demanded the government to ask the US to vacate four other airbases: the Shahbaz airbase in Sindh, the Khalid airbase in Balochistan and two other bases in Dalbandin and Pasni.

ISLAMABAD:

The government’s game face was appreciated and encouraged by friends and foes in the upper house of parliament alike, despite scepticism on how long the countenance would last.

The Senate on Friday condemned the Nato air raid in Mohmand Agency, through a unanimously passed resolution, but most members doubted that if the government could sustain its stance.

The resolution, moved by Leader of the Opposition Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, urged the government “to resist and implement parliamentary resolutions of October 22, 2008 and November 13, 2011.”

“It is an attack on sovereignty and integrity of the country and entire nation is grieved,” the resolution stated, adding that the “barbaric act is intolerable and the excuse of misunderstanding would not be accepted since this airstrike is not the first of its kind.”

Earlier, Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek suspended the agenda of the session when members requested for a debate over the memo scandal and Nato attack. The house started with prayers for the soldiers who lost their lives in the Nato attack.

Shoring support for the govt

Support was also voiced for the president, with Haji Muhammad Adeel of the government’s allied Awami National Party (ANP) saying his party will “fight against the establishment” and conspiracies to derail the democratic system.

The senator also asked for investigation into the Inter-Services Intelligence chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s visit to the UK, to meet Mansoor Ijaz, the self-proclaimed whistleblower in the memo scandal: “Did he visit the UK with prime minister’s approval or does a parallel government exist here?”

Adeel also urged the Supreme Court to summon Ijaz and retrieve the record of his alleged Blackberry conversation with former Pakistan’s ambassador to US, Hussain Haqqani.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl urged the government to remain steadfast over its decision of boycotting the Bonn conference.

“We endorse the government’s decision but do not know whether it will maintain the stance,” Haideri said. He demanded the government to ask the US to vacate four other airbases: the Shahbaz airbase in Sindh, the Khalid airbase in Balochistan and two other bases in Dalbandin and Pasni.

Senator Salim Saifullah Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Likeminded faction also urged the government to remain steadfast and take the political leadership into confidence.

Decision on Bonn ‘irreversible’

In a formal refusal to her German counterpart, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar called her German counterpart Guido Westerwelle to “apprise him of the decision of the government of Pakistan not to participate in the Bonn conference on Afghanistan.”

Khar also spoke to British Foreign Secretary William Hague and apprised him of Pakistan’s decision. Hague expressed UK’s “understanding of Pakistan’s position on the matter,” a foreign office statement said. Earlier, while addressing the media outside parliament, Khar said that the “decision to boycott the [Bonn conference] is irreversible.”

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Reader Comments (6)

“There should be an investigation into the memo scandal, but it should not be used against democracy,” the ANP leader said.
The senator also asked for investigation into the Inter-Services Intelligence chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha to meet Mansoor Ijaz
“Did he visit the UK with prime minister’s approval or does a parallel government exist here?”
his party will “fight against the establishment” and conspiracies to derail the democratic system.
Bravo Haji Mohammad Adeel Sahib, this is the first open voice to support democracy and rest assured Pasha did not go to investigate on Prime Minister’s orders. Our army does not take orders from constitutional Head of State or Head of Government rather they issue orders to Pakistan’s civilian Government and the people of Pakistan are our army’s subjects. Without any shadow of doubt our military is a parallel Government only stronger than the civilian.
Whatever memogate is true or false, Haqqani tried to save another treason by our army and the people must stop this by a united voice

What else would or could they do; except making this emotional nation feel good by giving them some more slogans to chant and run crazily around in rallies burning effigies and taking pride in being an atomic power, “atom BUM quom”… These are nothing but PR tactics by those who take decisions in this country. Simply, their uniformed ego would not allow them to realise that their short-sighted strategic-depth plan failed long ago …. God Bless us.

If government of Pakistan will start taking decisions in other matters with the international community similar to boycotting the Bonn Conference after the US/NATO helicopters killed 24 army personnel in Mohmand Agency, I am sure that the time is not very far when world will start respecting citizens having “Green Passports”.

We must start learning NOT to bow down on principles under any pressure and in any circumstances.

God is with Pakistan and no one can move us an inch without having our consent and will.

Let us make a commitment with ourselves that Pakistanis are not available for sale at any cost.

Some bad decisions have brought us where we are and we are adding to these decisions and showing immaturity to solve our problems and grievances. Running away from such impacting meetings or not joining in to certain investigations that can prove our point shows we are hiding something we claim to be true. We must tell and prove our side of the story that we are escaping from.Recommend